AMD cuts prices

@ 2004/10/19

On Tuesday, Advanced Micro Devices introduced its two fastest processors yet, a quiet slap at Intel's latest roadmap revision.
Just days after Intel told its OEM customers that it planned to put its 4-GHz chip on an indefinite hold, AMD released an Athlon 64 4000+ chip, as well as the latest entrant to its Athlon FX line, the Athlon FX-55. Both chips are designed for high-end enthusiasts, and priced accordingly: $729 for the Athlon 64 4000+, and $827 for the FX-55.

AMD cut the prices of its 3700+ through 2800+ Athlon 64 models, with prices now ranging from $470 to $144, versus $507 to $173 a month ago, a price drop of about 8 to 20 percent. AMD also made similar cuts to its desktop-replacement Athlon chips for notebooks, slicing the price of the top-end 3700+ from $500 to $463.

AMD also reduced prices on its Mobile Athlon 64 processor, reserving the largest cut for its 3400+ version, which the company slashed from $432 to $243, a difference of about 44 percent. The company declined to cut prices on its AMD64 chips for thin-and-light notebooks, however.

AMD lowered the price on a single Sempron processor for value thin-and-light notebooks, the 2200+, and made minor pricing revisions to its Athlon XP-M series, which it will phase out by the first quarter of 2005.